Empire Szechuan

Empire Szechuan in Englishtown, NJ is a neighborhood jewel of a Chinese restaurant. I went there with my cousin. She didn't think we needed a reservation, but she made one anyway. It's a good thing we had that reservation because this restaurant is very popular. Soon after we arrived there was a line of people waiting for tables. We both had a combination dinner which comes with either soup or egg roll, pork fried rice, and your choice among several entrees. She had roast pork and Chinese vegetables. She enjoyed her meal, but she didn't like the fortune in her fortune cookie. I had an egg roll, pork fried rice and shrimp chow mein. They were excellent. My fortune in the cookie was just fine. The cookie itself was sweet and delicious. Neither of us ordered the regular entrees, but I saw some regular entrees being served at other tables. Those entrees are big enough for two adults. Service was friendly and efficient. The decor is very nice. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, and there's plenty of free parking in the lot out front.

Special, top-tier Chinese. Great, quiet atmosphere and very friendly service. Started with the egg drop wonton soup, the broth was flavorful and had just the right texture, and the wontons were delicious and tightly filled with quality filling and not too doughy. Then the firecracker shrimp were plentiful, fresh, not overcooked, on a bed of fresh lettuce with a wonderful sauce (the sauce was so good i ate all of the lettuce underneath too!) The chicken dumplings (fried), like the wontons, were filled with high quality ingredients and the dough had a pleasing crunch (awesome.) moving on to the pork egg foo young which wasn’t burnt nor undercooked (which is a major problem with most places) it was all cohesive bites with pork and eggs and herbs finished with a sinful brown sauce which had a hint of sweetness that really boosted the depth of flavor. Also the standard, general tso’s chicken, big chunks of high quality chicken, sweet sauce with lots of heat, and soft on the inside crunchy on the outside. All in all a spectacular meal and a place i would recommend without hesitation to anyone.

This is the only place I feel safe ordering in from as someone with food allergies. I have a dairy and gluten allergy and they are so accommodating with the dishes. You get big portions for a good price and the food is always so fresh. I also have a super stomach with some problems so I always feel icky eating out and since the food is cooked in high quality oil I never feel icky after eating here which is SO rare for me. The owner is incredibly kind and told me how she also has food allergies and is happy to make modifications and help. It’s so rare that restaurants welcome modifications and she always does so for me. I’ve never gotten sick here and it’s the one restaurant I feel comfortable ordering in from and look forward to doing so every week. The entire staff is helpful and are always kind and respectful even when the phone is ringing like crazy and there’s a line for pick up. They never rush you and always make you feel welcome. A local gem- thank you to the incredibly owner for giving us allergy people a safe place with delicious food and for accommodating me with a smile. I appreciate you so much. Please support this local small business

If i could give this place a 0 i would. I have ordered from here frequently. About a week ago i ordered sesame chicken with plain fried rice & there was a bug in my food. Yes, a bug! I have pictures and videos. I called and explained that i just wanted a refund. They were refusing to give me a full refund even thought i had sent them said pictures/videos. It wasn’t until I threatened to call the health department that they issued me a full refund. I will never order from here again!

We have been going here for xmas and other times during the year for three years and mostly because we love their Peking Duck. They refused to serve it this year noting they were too busy. It was very disappointing to be denied food service that we expected and was listed on their menu. A shame we will not be returning again and will seek alternative Chinese restaurants for next year. Our waiter was very cordial and polite. The hosts and hostesses were not. They seemed to cater to certain parties more than others this year. They were definitely busier this year but this should not have affected their services nor customer service.